


Eyes on her

by JTDB



Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Family Issues, Pairings are secret to add to the mystery, Possible Romance, Romance is hard to write, Romantic pairings are planned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:27:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29775474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JTDB/pseuds/JTDB
Summary: Since birth, Noelle has been rejected and ridiculed by the noble class, but word spreads quickly within the ruling elite. What happens when suddenly, all eyes are on her. A story about family and growing up.
Relationships: Asta & Mimosa Vermillion, Asta & Noelle Silva, Asta & Nozel Silva, Asta & Solid Silva, Charlotte Roselei & Noelle Silva, Nebra Silva & Dorothy Unsworth, Nebra Silva & Noelle Silva & Nozel Silva & Solid Silva, Noelle Silva & Leopold Vermillion, Noelle Silva & Mimosa Vermillion, Vanessa Enoteca & Noelle Silva
Comments: 11
Kudos: 22





	Eyes on her

**Author's Note:**

> “Dialog”  
>  _‘Thoughts’_  
>  _~Flashback~_

It was evening time and everyone was gathered in the lounge room. Yami had just returned from the first captain’s meeting after a period of mandatory rest.

“Alright listen up everyone, I got some news, it’s important so make sure you pay attention”

“Is it good news or bad news?” — Luck asked eagerly.

“Depends on how you see it” Yami responded.

“Oh, can we get the good news first please, captain!” — Asta asked even more eagerly than Luck.

Noelle who was beside him turned to look at her teammate.

“No, Asta, don’t you know anything? Always start with the bad news so when you get to the good news, it makes the bad news not so bad anymore” 

Asta took a moment to process what he just heard, a personal goal he had set for himself.

“But isn’t bad news still the same whether you get it first or not?”

“That… well yes, but that’s not the point! The point is that we want the good news last, trust me on this” — she responded, not very happy about having her logic so easily dismantled.

Asta again pondered on his teammate's statement and concluded to do as she said. 

"Hmmm, I don’t get it, but I’ll trust you”

“Are you two done already? If so then shut up and listen, I’m about to start” — Yami's impatience was very visible by now.

The two quietly took their unofficial but agreed-upon seats for group meetings.

Yami looked at the rest of his squad, waiting for any other interruptions, but everyone was surprisingly calm, he had their complete attention.

“Alright first up. Asta, your trial is postponed until further notice. That might sound like good news but it’s not. That scales bastard says he wants to arrange a private trial to prevent any interference like last time, and knowing that guy I’m sure he’s up to no good"

“And Nero, also about the trial, you need to haul your ass over to Julius' tomorrow. If you have anything that can prove your citizenship and status from 500 years ago take it with you”

“Second, thanks to everyone's hard work, it seems our reputation has improved by a lot; so much in fact that there’s a few nobles that are interested in our order”

This last bit of news provoked a mixed reaction in his squad, most of them cheered, the rest scoffed.

“I have a question captain!” — Asta jumped up and raised his hand as high as he could.

“Don’t interrupt me pipsqueak, I’ll get to the questions when I’m finished”

With that said, Noelle pulled him back to his seat.

“I already told Julius that I wanted nothing to do with them but it looks like they won’t give up with just that. They got their eye on us for some reason.”

“Also, Noelle, your brother says he wants to see you, today, in two hours at the northern plaza. That’s all the info he gave me, he says you’ll know”

_ 'So soon?' _ \- her stomach was not ready for that piece of news as it churned slightly.

She was informed after being discharged from the hospital that he wanted to discuss 'some matters' with her.

“Okay… I’ll go get ready then” — Noelle said as she got up from her seat.

“I didn’t say you could leave yet, wait until I’m finished first”

Now Asta was the one pulling her to her seat, to which Noelle, being focused on her captain, just allowed him to do so.

“Julius also wants to meet with you, alone. I don’t know when. He said he’ll send for you”

“Wow, Noelle, the wizard king wants to see you! He’s probably gonna give you a super secret incredibly cool mission that only you can do! I’m so jealous!” — Asta said, quite excited about the development.

“Hmmph, well, of course he would, it was only a matter of time before he recognized my greatness” — she responds.

_ ‘What could it be! If he wants to meet me alone it has to be something more than a mission right?’ _

“Stop interrupting me, this is the last time I’ll say it”

In his excitement, Asta once again had shot up from his seat, to which Nero proceeded to pull him back.

“Noelle, I’m giving you time off, normally I wouldn’t, but this is also the old man’s orders. That doesn’t mean you’re gonna have it easy. It looks like you’re gonna have a lot to do, and I expect you to perform like you’ve been doing, so rest up while you still can”

Noelle nodded her head in acknowledgment.

“Next up. Asta, Julius said that you have permission to visit your family”

Asta was about to speak but Yami silenced him with a death glare.

“But you can’t just up and go. Since you’re due to stand trial you need to fill out a travel document and have someone write a letter of responsibility, I’ll fill you in the details after, or you can just ask me now”

Yami waited for his question, looking at Asta who also looked at his captain in silence, afraid to interrupt.

Yami realized he wasn't going to talk. 

"Alright, any questions?" — he said, addressing everyone.

“Oh me!” — Asta raised his hand, to which Yami acknowledged by pointing to him.

“What do you mean when you said they were doing a private trial?”

“You remember all those nobles watching you last time? Well this time there won’t be so many, just the ones that have the highest influence and members of royalty will be there, also what happens won’t be made known to anyone outside of that group until it’s over”

“Ha! They’re obviously gonna sentence him without a fair trial, just like they tried to do last time” — Zora interjected.

“If that happens we’ll just bust him out again” — Luck said.

“It’s a little bit more complicated than that this time. We still need more information and see how things play out, but more or less yeah, it'll come down to what Luck said if they try any dirty tricks” — Yami explained, as Nero raised her hand.

“Nero”

“At what time do I have to meet with the wizard king?” — she asked.

“Didn’t say, I assume whenever you want”

“Kid” — Yami points at Asta.

“How do I do that travel document thing and the letter?”

“Finral’s done a bunch of travel documents so he’ll help you with it, plus some other things you need. As for the letter, I would write it, but Julius said to find someone with more influence to do it. Fuegoleon and Noelle’s brother already volunteered to make you one”

“Wow, even captain Nozel wants to help me… That’s so great!” — Asta was trembling with joy, a huge smile on his face which he didn't attempt to hide.

A feeling of realization washed over him. While many captains had already acknowledged him, Nozel was someone he saw as most important for his dream. A royal with such prejudice towards commoners, who deemed their existence beneath theirs. Someone like him, to change his mind. It was the best feeling.

That gesture didn't escape Noelle's eyes.

_ 'Wow… Nozel wants to help him. He looks so happy about it' -  _ Noelle smiled, and decided to take advantage of the situation.

“You know… Nozel is always busy so it’ll be really difficult for you to meet with him. Lucky for you I’m about to go see him after this, so you can come with me and accept his offer”

“Really? That’s awesome Noelle, you’re the best!”

"Heh, you better be thankful I'm here" — she was feeling quite proud of herself.

“No can do. He’s not allowed to go inside the kingdom without permission. They have to place a formal request first in order for the kid to be able to go see them”

“Awww, I was looking forward to going” — Asta replied feeling very dejected.

"Well I'm royalty, there should be no problem if I'm with him" — Noelle quickly countered.

"True, but you still have to let people know, just like any other royal, and that involves time, so tough luck"

She looked over to Asta, looking for a way to counter-argue, but she couldn’t find one. She knows how important it is for him to avoid any kind of trouble right now.

_ 'It's just a quick visit, and I'm taking him to meet my family member, why is that such a big deal?'  _ \- Is what she wanted to say.

“Fine then… I can tell Nozel to send for you as soon as possible, and I can take you then...” — she unwillingly relented.

“Yeah that sounds good too, thanks for the help” — He gave her his cheerful smile that he's known for.

“Yeah well, I mean you can’t do anything right now, it’s only natural that I help you” — her response was dull from having her attempt of being helpful shot down.

“Anyone have any more questions?”

“Any idea on what the nobles want? And are we having the magic knight entrance exams?” — Finral asked.

“Probably looking to invest in us now that we’re not the worst squad, and there won’t be any entrance exams this year”

“What!? Why? This should be the most important time to recruit new magic knights!” — Asta questioned, once again jumping from his seat.

“Money” 

Asta was stunned, that was not a valid reason at all in his mind. His expression was one of disbelief.

“It’s a big investment to organize the event, add the cost of repairing the capital, then add compensation for the families of all the fallen magic knights the war claimed, and Julius said he wants to avoid a post eye of the midnight sun situation in which there were areas of the kingdom that received no aid. All the funds intended for the exams are going to the disaster relief efforts”

Asta was quite saddened, he couldn’t argue with his captain's explanation.

“Any other questions?”

“No, captain”

“Alright then you can all go, except you Noelle, come with me for a moment”

“Ah, okay...” — she raised an eyebrow and slowly got up and followed her captain outside.

**[...]** **Outside the base**

Upon turning the corner she finds a small table and four chairs around it. Yami took his seat and motioned for her to do the same.

_ 'I've never been called over by myself'  _ \- she realized, causing her to wonder if she was going to get scolded.

_ 'I don't recall doing something wrong' -  _ she thought as she sat across the table from him.

Yami stared at the table's surface, looking at a pack of cigarettes. If he noticed that she was there then he didn't show it.

_ 'Oh don't tell me it's about his smoking… maybe I should have declined her request. Should I just stop?'  _ \- she thought, afraid it would be all too late to retract her decision.

Yami looked over to her and noticed she was also staring at the pack. He leaned back and slouched.

“I wanted to ask you how you feel about being here, in the black bulls”

She was caught off guard by the question.

“How do I feel about being here? What do you mean? In what way?"

“It’s a straightforward question, just answer it”

_ 'That's too vague' -  _ she thought.

“I...I guess I think of this as my second home, I mean it’s not as refined as I would like it to be for someone like me, but it’s acceptable” — she quickly answered.

“Listen, I need you to drop your defensive front, it’s just you and me here. I’m not gonna think badly or make fun of you” — he responded bluntly and just as quick.

_ ‘Defensive front?'  _ \- She didn't like that description, it sounded like she was unstable.

Noelle was hesitant. Asta, Magna, and recently Zora were the ones who usually called her out on her attitude, but it was easy to deal with them, and it never felt serious. Not like now.

“When you first got here you hated it, maybe some of that hatred was your way of protecting yourself, but you did hate it, and us. I know you’ve come a long way since then, I’ve seen it, but I need to hear it from you. How do you feel about being here with us?”

That wasn't something she was prepared to hear. Something that she thought buried long ago thanks to everyone's support.

“Saying that I hated it here... you didn’t have to say it like that...” — her eyes were downcast.

“Am I wrong?” — he asked calmly.

“No, you’re right, I did hate it here, and I sometimes think back on it and feel ashamed. Even though it changed that same day, I still didn’t like it too much. It took me a while to truly grow fond of everyone”

She looked up to face her captain.

“Right now I wouldn’t want it any other way. My life before coming here was hell. I’m not exaggerating when I say I don’t have any memories where I felt… content. However, I can say with full honesty that I would gladly go through all that again if it meant that I would end up here with everyone. I’m very happy here” — she smiled softly.

Yami looked satisfied with her answer.

“What was your goal before you ended up here, and did it change during this whole time?”

“My goal...” — she looked down to the pack of cigarettes in the middle of the table.

_ 'There's always been one thing' _

“I wanted to show my family that I’m not useless, a failure. I wanted them to respect me, I… wanted them to treat me like family. To love me...”

Her face hardened, and her gaze remained on the pack.

“I also wanted to make everyone who bad-mouthed me eat their words and grovel for my forgiveness”

“Hahaha, that last one sounds fun” — he slammed his hand on the table.

His laughter broke her train of thought. She was glad that he found it amusing. Feeling more relaxed she continued.

“I’m making progress with my family, that’s still my main goal, it never changed even after all that’s happened, but it was put on hold many times”

“How so?”

"Well…" — she took a deep breath, and was now feeling comfortable with the flow of the conversation.

“On Raque, my goal was to be able to meet your expectations and get everyone to the sea temple. When Asta had his arms cursed, all I wanted to do was find a way to heal him. When Asta was given his ultimatum, all I had in mind was to help prove his innocence. I suppose it also became a personal goal to avenge my mother, then to save Lolopechika, but yeah… my goals change depending on the situation”

“What’s your goal now?”

“I still want to get along with my family, I’m never giving up on that. I know it can be done, eventually. Nozel already approves of me, and I think with his support I can win over Solid and Nebra” — she exclaimed with determination.

“Is that all?”

“Hmmm… Furthering my career as a magic knight would be another one”

She paused for a moment.

“And I suppose a family of my own later on...” — she went silent, deep in thought.

“I see” — Yami said with a calm tone.

His response made her uneasy. She couldn't tell where he was going with those questions.

“Captain, why are you asking me this? Is something wrong?” — she frowned.

“Nothing's wrong, I want you to know that you’re appreciated here. You’ve been with us for a bit over a year and you’re one of our best members, you and the kid. I’m not joking when I say that without you we wouldn’t have grown nearly as much as we did in such a short time”

“Captain...”

She was touched beyond belief by his words that she suppressed the urge to give him a long hug. She thought of how uncharacteristic it was for her to do that, and the awkward moment that would ensue.

“Look, when you joined, your reputation was deep in the gutter, no one wanted you and everyone ridiculed you just like they did to everyone else here, even to nobles like Finral and Gauche, but you’re royalty, and that by itself implies that you have more impact and obligations than the rest, so listen to me very well” — he gave her a serious look.

Noelle looks at him expectantly.

“Even though you’re legally an adult when you received your grimoire, being royalty meant there were still some things you couldn’t do, but you’re gonna be seventeen soon and a whole lot of options are gonna open up. You’re gonna be in situations where you’re gonna have to make hard decisions, lots of em”

Yami looks down at the pack of cigarettes.

“When that happens I want you to decide what’s the best option for you, and forget about doing things for us”

That was not something Noelle liked at all.

“Captain, I would never make a decision without having everyone's best interest in mind."

She picked up the cigarettes and placed them on the empty seat beside her.

"While I really like this talk we’re having, it’s… not like you at all. It sounds like you’re telling me that something bad will happen to us” — she said worryingly.

“Like I said, nothing’s wrong, and you’re right, this isn’t something I’m good at, and sure as hell won’t say to anyone else”

“Then why me?”

“Because it’s you and because you’re royalty. You know, for someone who’s always reminding us of that, I don’t think you realize how much it influences things”

“Of course I know! And I just remind you so much so you don’t forget. I’m glad it worked” — she retorts with her face flushed.

“Yeah it did, so you can stop doing it. You’ll be a lot happier, trust me”

Noelle fidgeted in her seat, face still flushed.

Yami sighed.

“I won’t take more of your time so I’ll end with this” — he said looking her in the eyes.

“Noelle, I want you to always remember that whatever happens, you will always have a home here in the black bulls, and if by some reason we’re no longer a squad, then look for us. Any one of us will be happy to take you in and help you bounce back from whatever trouble you may be in, you’ll always have our support for anything”

He leaned forward on the table.

“Promise me that when you have to make those tough decisions, you’ll make the one that works best for you, not anyone else, including us or your family”

Noelle smiled and covered her eyes. She didn't expect that hearing her captain say that they cared about her would make her so happy. She already knew they cared, but hearing it like that was completely different.

_ 'I'm so glad to have met you captain, you and everyone here' _

“I’m still not exactly sure what you mean with that, but I promise. I’ll think about myself first” — she said, having recomposed herself.

“Good, now go and get ready, and don’t mention any of this to captain braids”

“Why?” — she raised her eyebrow.

“He’s annoyingly jealous when it comes to you. He won’t let me hear the end of it if he found out I was giving you some life advice instead of him” — He said.

“Hahaha! Captain Dorothy said something very similar, but I really don’t see him doing that” — she laughed it off. She remembered how silly Dorothy's version of Nozel was.

“You got more power over him than you think, I suggest you use it”

“I’ll keep that in mind” — she said with a bright smile.

“Alright now go on and get outta here or you’re gonna be late, and tell Finral to get over here”

“Yeah” — she stood up and began to walk away.

“Ah… I almost forgot” — she turned around and reached for the cigarettes. “So… what are we gonna do about this. Want me to help you with these?”

“Don’t get cheeky with me you little brat or I’ll put you on beast cleanup duty for the entire month”

Noelle was unfazed by her captain's threat, instead, she allowed a smug grin to adorn her face.

“I’m just doing my job” — she said.

“You’re pushing it real thin” — he gave her a deep glare, hoping it would dissuade her.

A staring contest ensued. Yami knew she wasn’t going to budge by reading her ki. He sighed.

“Take it, but don’t say anything or I’ll make sure you regret it”

"I’m just doing what I’m told" — she pocketed the item feeling quite proud of herself.

She left with a wide and happy smile.

**[...]** **Black Bulls lounge room**

“I don’t know if I have anything like that Finral, I don’t think so” — Asta said, sitting across the table from his superior squad member.

“Didn’t you turn in any identification when you registered for the magic knight exams?” — Finral asked.

“No, I just gave my name, age, and my birthplace when I registered”

“What about Yuno, did he show any identification?”

“Nope! He just did the same thing I did, at least I think he did. I didn’t see him when he registered but he didn’t have any identification as far as I remember”

“And he’s not here to ask him too” — Finral said to himself. He was losing hope of having something that would make the paperwork process easier, and he certainly wasn’t going to go out of his way to get in contact with his junior’s foster brother.

“That reminds me, you don’t have a communicator right?” — he asked.

“Nope! I don’t have one” — Asta said almost proudly.

“We need to get you one while we’re at it” — Finral wrote down the item on the list.

“That’d be great, I’ve seen the captain use one of those, I always wanted one”

“You know, I think we need to get Noelle one too” — Finral wondered.

“There’s no need, I already have mine” — Noelle said while walking over to them.

“I didn’t know you had one Noelle, how come I’m the only one who doesn’t have one?” — Asta said, then he got up and pulled up a chair for her.

She would normally blush at his consideration, but recently he’s been like that a bit too often.

Asta smiled and seemed ready to help her into said chair instead of just offering it.

She raised an eyebrow.

“New members don’t get to have one right away which I think is stupid, so I bought it with my own money, and thanks for the seat but I’m not staying long” — she remained standing, trying not to let her mind run wild.

“Wait, but you said we’re not supposed to have one” — Asta said.

“Yeah but they can’t take it away from me since it’s my property, I just couldn’t take it on missions, besides, we would eventually be given one. I just don’t know why you still haven’t, it's been over a year” — she looked over to Finral.

“It's because he can’t use it since it requires magic to function”

“That makes sense” — she agreed.

“Wait so why am I getting one if I can’t even use it?”

“Ah yes, there’s a modified version made especially for you” — Finral answered

“Wow! Really! That’s so cool, so many surprises today!”

Noelle looked at Asta and wondered how it was that he could get excited at the smallest things so regularly.  _ ‘I suppose this IS something new for him’ -  _ she concluded.

“Yeah, it works by charging it with mana first and you can use it whenever you want, but you have to keep charging it from time to time, and you need someone to charge it for you” — Finral explained.

“Can it be anyone?” — Noelle asked.

“Yeah it seems so”

Upon hearing that, Noelle figured this would be a good opportunity to show her usefulness and recover from her previous failed attempt.

“Well I can charge it for you whenever you need, I mean I’m already helping you with that arm of yours, so it’s no problem” — She said in her uninterested but not really tone.

“Thanks a lot Noelle, you’ve been pretty great lately, I appreciate it” — he smiled at her.

“Hmmph, you’re hopeless without me, and I'm always great” — She responded while walking away.

"Hey, what did the captain want?" — Asta asked curiously.

She turned around and was about to speak but stopped. She found herself unable to answer him for an unknown reason.

As she recalled sections of her memory she realized she didn't even know herself.

_ 'Actually… I still don't get it… what was the purpose of that?' -  _ she pondered to herself. 

"Noelle?"

She looked at Asta and realized he was waiting for an answer, but she wasn't going to say that it was just her captain praising her and being strange. 

_ 'Even Asta wouldn't believe that'  _ \- so she did what she does best.

"It's none of your business, besides, it was nothing important, really" — she dismissed him quickly.

“I gotta go get ready. Oh! Finral, the captain wants to see you, he’s outside” — she said as she left her two squad members.

“Alright Asta, I'll try asking your family in the church for any documents they might have of you. in the case they don’t then we’ll go to the scribe district and make you one” — Finral said as he also moved away from the table.

“Sounds good! I’ll be ready to go if we need to”

Asta watched Finral leave, then turned to watch Noelle as she disappeared up the stairs. He looked around to see everyone already engaged in conversation or some activity.

“I guess I’ll continue reading this thing” — he said to himself.

He squeezed his pocket which contained a small book, with a very interesting title. He got up and headed to his room.

**[...]** **Outside the base.**

With no instructions as to where exactly outside Yami was, Finral was quite surprised to find his captain sitting in the one place he never expected.

_ 'Ah ha ha… The right side patio of the base… It's been a while' _

“You wanted to see me?” — Finral asked, walking up next to him.

“Took you long enough”

“But I came as soon as Noelle told me”

“Portal here instead of walking next time. Sit down” — Yami kicked back the chair Noelle just sat in moments ago.

"If I knew this is where you were I would have, although I would love to avoid this place altogether" — Finral sat down.

Yami thought about how to begin. It was rare that he needed any kind of assistance from Finral aside from his portals.

He didn't have a problem when he called for Asta to help him against Dante, but that was a different situation. He finds it very difficult to accept when he's in way over his head on anything other than combat.

“Did you explain things to the kid about his documents?” — he asked calmly.

The right side patio is usually the furthest from the base, and Henry tends to shift the rooms at a greater height than any other side. It was a good place to have a private talk without looking secretive.

“Yes, he more or less understood, but it’s gonna be a little difficult since he doesn’t have any identification” — Finral decided to go with the flow, knowing that this wasn't the main topic.

“Ask mushroom head to let you use his magic knight profile”

“That’ll be my last resort, the time it takes for permission is too much, and even then it’ll be hard because we have to leave the documents in the town hall”

“Well, you figure it out then”

“I’m going to ask Asta’s family in Hage if they have something. Being an official orphanage they should have a registry”

“Sounds good”

There was the following silence, a preparation for the coming conversation to come. Finral patiently waited for his captain to address the issue.

Yami slowly reclined in his seat and took a deep breath.

“You know why I called you, right?” — it was a statement more than a question.

Finral thought for a moment, there's only one thing that stood out from all the news they were made aware of today.

“So, the nobles are eyeing us and there’s no magic knight exams huh… no new recruits, you know what this means, right?” — Finral answered knowingly.

“Sure do, what do you think about it?” — Yami asked.

“Well, I wouldn’t think anything serious, our reputation isn’t so bad anymore and our achievements are nothing to be ignored, even if the golden dawn is taking the credit for most of them, so it could be like you said, just them trying to invest in us before anyone else does”

Yami looked at him for a moment, taking in his words, he doesn't answer and stays quiet.

“What do you think about all of this?" — Finral asked in order to continue the conversation.

“Julius told us there’s going to be a higher need for joint missions, possibly temporary member exchange until we get everything settled”

“Well, nothing to worry about. Joint missions are nothing new and they know we don’t have people to spare”

“That’s what I thought too, at first”

“But...?”

Yami straightened himself.

“Finral, what do you think about Noelle” — he asked.

“Noelle is such a cutie! Even if I’m already taken, if she ever accepts going on a date with me it would be incredibly hard to resist such a beautiful girl like her! But I have to! I can’t let Finesse down, but it’s Noelle. Oh, the pain!”

Obviously, this was not what he wanted to hear and mentally bashed himself for not anticipating his idiocy.

“Shut up you dumbass! Don’t screw around and answer the question, I don’t have all day!”

Finral laughed and recomposed himself.

“Hmmm, I would say she’s difficult to ignore. She’s always sure to make her presence known, very confident. She’s one of our best members, and like I said, she’s very attractive, no doubt already caught the eye of a lot of people. She’s far from what she was, and what everyone labeled her as”

"Mmm" — he acknowledged.

“Is Noelle okay? She looked a little off”

“Good, means she’s taking me seriously”

He paused for a moment before continuing, his posture remained the same while looking sharply to the table.

“After the meeting, there were a lot of nobles asking about us, they wanted something but were afraid to say it. Some of them were trying to cozy up to me; they kept asking about our roster, finances, plans for the future. I shot them down, hard. When they couldn’t get anything they all went off... to Nozel”

He paused again, shifting a little in his seat.

“Same questions, same pushiness, more formalities” — he continued.

“Well the Silver Eagles are a very sought-after order, no surprise there” — Finral said. He opted to look at the situation logically.

“They were loud, or the place was quiet, but I could hear them. After a while of the same attempts to lick his rear, they finally showed their interest” — he responded, breaking his intent gaze from the table.

“I would assume it’s Noelle?” — Finral furrowed his brow, he didn’t like where things were going.

“Yeah, their ki got a sudden spike of anticipation, they wouldn’t stop asking questions about her, all of them” — Yami mimicked Finral’s discontent.

“What does she think about this?”

“I didn’t tell her, and I don’t want you saying anything either, that’s an order”

“You’re just going to leave her in the dark about this? Why?” — his tone changed to a mixture of incredulous and annoyance.

“Because her brother is going to take care of that, we had a talk after the captains meeting”

“That’s all well and good but that’s also very dangerous. There’s no magic knight exams, nobles are looking at us, Nozel surprisingly wants to talk to you about her and wants to meet with her. We didn’t have to deal with this before but it looks like now we do'' — Finral responded, attempting to understand his captain's decision while simultaneously attempting to dissuade it.

Yami didn’t respond, he instead looked over to his side looking calm. Seeing as he wasn’t going to talk, Finral decided to be direct.

“Yami, we’re in poaching season and by what I’m hearing, the main target is Noelle. What could Nozel have possibly said to convince you to let them take her?” — his tone was now aggravated.

Yami raised his eyebrow questioningly. It was very unlike him to take that stance, especially when talking to him, but it made sense. He knows what's going on.

“I never said I was letting them take her, that’s never gonna happen, but her circumstances are different” — he attempted to quell his rise in temperament with patience, focusing on his question, not his tone.

“Oh I’m really interested in hearing this” — now Finral leaned back and crossed his arms while his tone changed to a mocking one, clearly making it his goal to indicate his disapproval.

Yami was proud, in a way, about his newly developing backbone, but he was still too green to know how, when, and who to use it on.

“I know you’re not happy with my decision but I’ll crush your neck the next time you give me that attitude”

“Yes captain...” — Finral turned his head downward and averted his gaze in defeat.

While his captain's threats of death were nothing new, there were few times where it wasn’t just a way to maintain order and obedience, and this was one of them. That was not an empty threat. Would he actually do it? Probably not, but he wasn’t going to leave clean either.

“She’s royalty, and she’s going to have to take up what responsibility comes with it soon, on top of that she’s going to be hounded by a bunch of nobles that who knows what their intentions are. As much as it pisses me off, he’s right, none of us can help her with what she’s going to be facing, we just don’t know how” — he wasn’t someone familiar with the feeling of uselessness, so he opted to not dwell on it.

“And I’ve seen how he’s changed, his ki also says it, he really wants to make amends with her” — he added.

“And recruit her into his squad while he’s at it, this is the perfect opportunity. What about what she wants? We both know she won’t be happy having things decided for her like this” — Finral counter-argued.

“I wouldn’t do anything without taking what she wants into consideration first, that’s why I spoke with her. She’s dead set on reconciliation with her family. She really wants to be with them, I can’t deny her that” — he said with sincerity.

“Well, I still don’t understand why we can’t tell her, or anyone else for that matter” — Finral said. Something of this level should be made known to everyone, at least that way they would be prepared for what might happen.

“He leveled with me, said he doesn’t intend to recruit her into his squad, but if she was the one who wanted it then he wouldn’t turn her away, so we agreed not to say anything and not influence her decision”

“I suppose I can’t argue with that, but still, this doesn’t feel good at all” — Finral accepted the situation. Whatever decision she made, it sounded like she would be taken care of and treated right.

“I don’t like it either, the only thing I can do is make sure she’s not being taken advantage of, she’s very susceptible when it comes to her family"

“You look very relaxed for something so big happening, why?”

“Because I know she’ll surpass her limits”

To anyone else, that catch-phrase answer would be unconvincing and would never ease anyone’s worries, but here, it was the most assuring response he could give, he’s never been wrong.

“So what do you need me to do, I’m sure you didn’t call me just to get my opinion” — Finral smiled.

“First of all, I need you to keep your mouth shut about this, then I want you to find out if the nobles are looking to get anyone else besides Noelle, and third, while Noelle is busy I need you to stick to Gordon and portal him whenever he needs it, especially when Asta goes to visit his family”

“Yes sir!” — he salutes. “You know it feels like a lot of interesting changes are gonna take place, maybe sad ones”

“Oh if only you knew. Julius has an announcement coming up soon, and I’m looking forward to seeing Asta’s reaction”

He's seen that look in his captain's face before. It never failed to send a chill down his back.

“You’re not gonna tell me what it is, are you? So it’s safe to assume it’s nothing to be worried about?”

“Hehe, depends on how he takes it, let’s just say it should be a wake-up call for him” — Yami said, looking quite amused.

“Hehehe… yeah... good times...” — Finral nervously laughed.

**[...]** **Noelle's Room**

Standing in front of her full body mirror, the young girl inspects her appearance, making sure that she was up to royal standards.

_ 'Dress not wrinkled' -  _ she observed and turned as far as she could to inspect the back of her normal attire.

_ 'No stains'  _ \- the white and purple fabric looked brand new.

_ 'Footwear clean'  _ \- she picked up each of her sandals and gave them a quick polish.

_ 'Symmetry on point'  _ \- she brought her legs together and measured her leg warmers.

_ 'Hair well done'  _ \- she moved closer, holding up a small mirror in her hand to reflect the back of her head.

_ 'Display of wealth''  _ \- she adjusted her accessories.

_ 'Odor'  _ \- she sprayed a very small amount of perfume.

_ 'Odor'  _ \- she brought each hand to the respective opposing armpit and smelled them.

_ 'Hygiene'  _ \- she pulled a wet cloth and wiped her hands.

_ 'Hygiene'  _ \- she did the same to her feet, then inspected her nails.

_ 'Hygiene'  _ \- she inspected her teeth, then her lips.

She straightened her posture.

_ 'Modesty'  _ \- she adjusted her purple undergarment to cover her upper torso.

She observed her handiwork.

_ 'Charm'  _ \- she lowered her purple garments slightly, revealing an acceptable amount of cleavage.

She stared at the mirror and gave a satisfied nod of approval.

She looked at her clock.

"I have ten minutes"

She slowly sat on her bed and allowed her mind to process the day's events. Her thoughts wandered to her captain.

_ 'Decisions best for me huh…'  _ \- she frowned.

_ ~You're gonna have to make hard decisions, lots of em~  _ \- her captain's words shot up.

"He knows something I don't, but what?" — she whispered, deep in thought.

"Oh!" — she jolted. "The wizard king"

_ 'Of course, that has to be it! He wants to see me alone, and now captain Yami is all caring and weird'  _ \- She deduced.

She felt a wave of relief. It made perfect sense and was very happy to be able to get rid of that doubt that she knew would have been a pain in the back of her mind.

"Mmm" — she relaxed and put on her sandals.

_ 'Now I'm almost sure it's not just a mission like Asta said' _

She slowly stopped after mentioning the young man's name.  _ 'Asta…' _

Asta was behaving strangely, he's been too attentive towards her. 

But she knows him, he's rarely attentive, and the few times he was, it didn't mean what she, and any normal young girl would interpret it as. So this made his new behavior even more confusing.

Today it was pulling up chairs.

Yesterday was opening doors AND letting her go first. 

And the previous days.

He took her coat. 

He offered to pay for her meal which was very odd since it was a group outing, it was by no means a date.

He served her coffee after she was done eating and very full.

The weirdest thing was when he told her to wait, ran inside the base and came back with his old shirt, and put in a puddle for her to walk on it. She could easily just have sidestepped it.

_ 'What the hell is he doing…' _ \- she shakes her head and lets out a small laugh.

She looks at the clock.

_ 'Five minutes. I guess it's time'  _ \- her thoughts shift to the matter at hand.

_ 'I know he won't send for me solely for the purpose of insulting me, that's in the past' _

She finished putting on her footwear and stood up.

"Besides, I'm no longer the insecure girl from before" — she strides gracefully to the door and opens it.

"Whatever it is he wants, I'll show him" — she smiles confidently.

"I'll show him my value, I'll show him who Noelle Silva is"

The door closes and the sound of her footsteps echoes through the corridor.

**[...] Asta's room**

Sitting in front of a small table, the young man is seen writing a letter.

_ 'It's too long'  _ \- he sighs in frustration.

"What's wrong" — the birdified voice of Nero is heard from across the room.

"I can't fit everything in this letter, so many things happen today, and I wanna share all of it"

"Just make another one"

"No, starting over would take too long" — he was looking at the letter intently.

"I meant put the rest in another one…"

The boy didn't respond, still very focused on his letter.

"It just won't fit"

"Just tell them the rest when you get there, it would also give you something more to talk about"

"You're right, I can just tell them the rest there, I guess I'm done with this then"

He turned slowly to look at her.

"Thanks Nero, you're so great" — he gave her a warm smile, not his typical wide grin-like one.

"I'm great huh, just like Noelle?" — she questioned bluntly.

"Noelle's great too, but you're even better" — he said in a lower and softer tone.

They both quietly stared at each other, the flicker of the candle barely illuminated the room, making it seem cozier than it was.

Asta kept smiling and Nero simply stared. Anyone looking at what transpired would be justified in letting their imagination jump to conclusions.

"Asta, you know I know what you're doing, and I told you to stop it" — she said very threateningly.

"Okay, okay, don't get angry, I'll stop" — his smile now turned into his toothy grin.

"I mean completely stop it" — she looked very serious.

"Listen, I'm confident nothing bad's gonna happen, Finral is helping" — he attempted to calm her down.

_ 'That's the problem'  _ \- she was about to voice her concerns but was interrupted by a voice coming from the window.

"Alright I'm off, I'll let you know if I'm staying or not"

Asta recognized that voice. He stood up and looked outside.

"Ah… she's leaving already" — he sighs and lies down on his bed putting his arms behind his head.

"Man… it doesn't look like it's working at all. What am I doing wrong?" — He stares at the ceiling in frustration.

"It felt like it was, at first" — he whispered.

"Aaaahh! This is hard!" — he sat up quickly.

"Be quiet, I'm trying to sleep, I have a long day tomorrow" — Nero said.

"Sorry, but I just can't figure it out. What do you think?" — he asked his companion.

"I told you to leave me out of this" — she responded coldly.  _ 'I don't want any part of this when it blows up in your face' _

"Aaauugh fine! I'll make it work" — Asta said confidently.

_ 'I think I still have time' -  _ he laid back down and picked up his book.

"Just you wait" — he smiled.

"Mmmm" — the bird’s disapproval was the last thing that was heard for the rest of the night.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes:

This is mostly a Noelle-focused story.

I don’t know if I’ll continue this story if some specific characters happen to die in the manga since they’re a big part of this story, I have a bad feeling Tabata might be plotting something along those lines.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first story, I would love to hear what you think, what you liked and didn’t like, are you interested or not interested? Guess on what will happen? Any of your thoughts are very much appreciated, it’s what keeps me going :)
> 
> Thank you for reading '-')b


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